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Low genetic diversity and fragmentation effects in a wind-pollinated tree, Polylepis multijuga Plige (Rosaceae) in the high Andes

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Abstract

Fragmentation is predicted to increase inbreeding depression and lower the evolutionary potential of organisms by disrupting dispersal. Trees may be more resilient to fragmentation effects due to potential long-distance dispersal mechanisms that genetically connect fragments. Polylepis woodlands in the high Andes are highly fragmented and are currently the focus of reforestation and conservation efforts. Polylepis multijuga Plige (Rosaceae) is a threatened, endemic tree species in the northern Andes of Peru. Samples were collected from 371 adult trees in nine forest fragments separated by 0.5–80 km and genotyped at amplified fragment length polymorphism loci (AFLP) and chloroplast intergenic regions to determine the connectedness of fragments and their suitability for collecting seed for restoration efforts. P. multijuga is wind-pollinated and dispersed; however, genetic diversity in P. multijuga was about half that reported for other wind-pollinated species. Genetic spatial autocorrelation and patterns of chloroplast and AFLP diversity suggest seed dispersal is very limited and that wind dispersed pollen does not effectively connect all fragments. Conservation of this species will require reforestation efforts and possibly augmentation of some fragments to increase their genetic diversity. Collecting seed from multiple large fragments and from individuals separated by at least 25 m within fragments would maximize the genetic diversity of seed collections for reforestation or augmentation. Future studies of this and other Polylepis species should determine how complex topography may affect wind mediated dispersal between fragments and patterns of genetic diversity.

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Aknowledgments

We thank Tony Burgess, Matt Chumchal, Amanda Hale, and Tammy Morgan for help and valuable suggestions. Special thanks to our collaborators Jhon Panduro Cometivos, Karina Pinasco Vela, Abnet Cusquipoma, and Manuel from Amazonicos por la Amazonia for help with all aspects of this study. We also thank the Muños Ruiz family for letting us sample on their land “Los Gevaras” and especially to Edwin and Jobito Muños for their help. Thanks to the people of Direccion General Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre for the research and exportation permits. Thanks also to Mercedes Flores Pimentel, director of the “MOL” herbarium; Keri McNew, Tiana Franklin, and John Janovec from the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT). Funding was provided by Texas Christian University’s Department of Biology Adkins Fellowship and the Department of Environmental Science.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, Texas Christian University, 2955 S. University Dr., Fort Worth, TX, 76129, USA

    Natalia Quinteros-Casaverde

  2. Amazonicos por la Amazonia NGO, Moyobamba, San Martín, Peru

    Cesar F. Flores-Negrón

  3. Department of Biology, Texas Christian University, 2955 S. University Dr., Fort Worth, TX, 76129, USA

    Natalia Quinteros-Casaverde & Dean A. Williams

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  1. Natalia Quinteros-Casaverde
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  2. Cesar F. Flores-Negrón
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  3. Dean A. Williams
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Correspondence to Dean A. Williams.

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Quinteros-Casaverde, N., Flores-Negrón, C.F. & Williams, D.A. Low genetic diversity and fragmentation effects in a wind-pollinated tree, Polylepis multijuga Plige (Rosaceae) in the high Andes. Conserv Genet 13, 593–603 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-011-0310-1

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